Zora Launches Attention Markets on Solana to Let Traders Bet on Viral Trends
TLDR
Zora launched “attention markets” on Solana, letting traders bet on which trends, hashtags, and topics will go viral
It costs 1 SOL (~$85) to deploy a “Trend” to reduce spam
The ZORA token rose 6.2% to $0.022 following the announcement
Base community members criticized the move, saying Zora built its presence on Base before pivoting to Solana
Base creator Jesse Pollak said Zora’s tools remain active on Base and called the experiment welcome
Zora, a crypto social platform, has launched a new product called “attention markets” on Solana. The platform lets traders take positions on which topics, hashtags, memes, and trends will gain traction online.
BREAKING: Zora launches attention markets on Solana
You can now start markets and take positions on any trending topic, idea, meme, or momentpic.twitter.com/55c8tM5QnB
— Solana (@solana) February 17, 2026
Users can create what Zora calls “Trends” and “Pairs.” A Trend costs 1 SOL, currently around $85, to deploy. The fee is designed to cut down on spam.
Pairs can be created under a Trend and come with creator rewards, while Trends themselves do not. A promotional video from Zora showed examples like $redlight and $coldplunge listed under a $longevity trend.
Traders can go long or short on these markets like ordinary tokens. The platform includes a real-time dashboard to track profits and losses.
Early markets include tickers like “attentionmarkets,” “longevity,” “cats,” “dogs,” “bitcoin,” and “aigirlfriend.” The “attentionmarkets” ticker was up over 5,500% on its first day, though trading volume remained limited.
The ZORA token rose 6.2% to $0.022 in the 24 hours following the announcement. The broader crypto market fell 1.2% in the same period.
Backlash From the Base Community
The launch drew criticism from developers tied to Ethereum layer-2 network Base. Zora had moved much of its activity to Base last year and launched its native token there in April 2025.
Zora also helped Base overtake Solana in daily token creation activity in July 2025 by supporting creator coins linked to Base profiles. Some developers felt the Solana pivot was a betrayal.
Jacek Trociński, developer of Base memecoin Degen, called the move “really disappointing.” He accused Zora of abandoning Base after receiving support from the Base team for nearly a year.
A builder known as Apex777.eth was more direct, accusing Zora of extracting value from Base users before moving on. “A final pivot to a pump clone on Solana,” they wrote.
Base creator Jesse Pollak took a softer stance. He confirmed Zora’s creator tools are still fully working on Base and said he was glad to see Zora experimenting.
Zora’s Broader Shift Toward Solana
Zora listed the ZORA token on Solana in January 2026. Its X profile now lists its location as “Solana” and the account has not mentioned Base in several months.
Zora has not made any public statement about leaving Base. Cointelegraph contacted Zora for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Zora also posted a job listing for an “Attention Economist” this week. The role is for someone who tracks cultural movements across TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and X.
Other companies are also building in this space. Base-based startup Noise raised a $7.1 million seed round led by Paradigm to develop its own attention market platform.
Prediction markets broadly have been growing fast, with monthly trading volume now regularly crossing $10 billion.
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Filed under: News - @ February 18, 2026 8:23 am